Savings-box calendar



1932- H. JEPSEN ET AL 1,886,104

SAVINGS BOX CALENDAR Filed Nov. 6, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 1, 1932.

H. J. JEPSEN ET AL SAVINGS BOX CALENDAR Filed Nov. 6, I929 F Z5 4Z4- 5; DEC 10 26 JAN Z7 28 FEB 29 17 2% MARCH 2 APRIL 'I?V1g 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Tig. 5

Nov. 1, 1932. H. J. JEPSEN ET AL 1,886,104

SAVINGS BOX CALENDAR Filed Nov. 6. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 1, 1932 Warren stares PATENT GFFE HANS JRGEH JEPSEN AND KAI CHRISTIAN NIELSEN, (F COPENHAGEN, DENMARK SAVINGS-BOX CALENDAR Application filed November 5, 1929, Serial No. 405,250, and in Denmark July 30, 1929.

The present invention consists in a savingsboz: calendar, i. e. an apparatus which shows the name of the day, the date and the name f the month, or merely two of these indica- 5 tions, and which is fitted with a slot for insertion of coins and an adjusting mechanism in such a manner that the members indicating the various calendar data are automatically moved forward so as to indicate the next day, when a certain coin has been inserted into the coin aperture and, maybe, a handle has furthermore been moved. The names of the days are printed on the periphery of one disc, the dates on the periphery of another disc and the names of the months on the periphery of a third disc, and the casing enclosing the apparatus is fitted with windows through which only the name of one single week day, one single date and the name of one single month may be read. Whenever a coin is inserted through the coin aperture of the apparatus and the said handle is then moved the disc carrying the names of the days will be moved forward through a certain angle, so that the name of the next day becomes visible. At the same time the disc carrying the dates from 1 to 31 will be moved one step forward, so that the next date will be visible. Whenever n the date disc has performed one full revolution it will cause the disc carrying the names of the months to be moved forward a certain angle, so that the name of the neXt month becomes visible. The motion of this last mentioned disc is effected simultaneously with the date 31 being replaced by the date 1.

The novel feature of the present invention is that the savings-box calendar is fitted with a mechanism which, all according to the diffcrent number of days of the individual months, at the end of the month automatically moves the date disc forward a distance corresponding to the difference between 31 and the number of days in the month concerned, so that the calendar will always show the correct date at the passage from one month to the next one. The said mechanism will be described in the following.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated on the drawings, where Fig. 1 shows the apparatus, with the casing enclosing the same, in side elevation with the front wall of the casing removed,

Fig. Q'the apparatus viewed from the 0pposite side,

Fig. 3 the apparatus in front elevation,

Fig. r a diagrammatical view of the mechanism which moves the disc carrying the names of the week days,

Fig. 5 a diagrammatical view of the mechanism which moves the disc carrying the date numerals,

Fig. 6 shows the disc with the date numerals in rear elevation,

Fig. 7 a diagrammatical view of the mechanism which at the end of the month advances the date disc a distance corresponding to the difference between 31 and the number of days in the month,

Fig. 8 a view corresponding to Fig. 2 but showing the moving members in the position they occupy while a coin is being inserted into the coin chute, and

Fig. 9 a modified construction of a screen disposed in front of the disc supporting the date numbers.

As shown in Fig. 3 the apparatus consists of two side walls 9 and 10 between which afiXed shaft 11 is journalled. Three discs 12,

13 and 14: of uniform size are supported by this shaft 11 on which they are free to re volve. The periphery of the disc 12 carries the names of the week days which are uniformly spaced, and this disc is firmly connected to a ratchet wheel 15 with seven teeth. The periphery of the disc 13 carries the date numbers 1 to 31, and this disc is firmly connected to a ratchet wheel 16 with 31 teeth. The periphery of the disc 14: carries the names of the months distributed uniformly along the periphery of the disc, and this disc is firmly connected to a gear wheel 17. This wheel engages a gear wheel 18 (Fig. 7) having exactly as many teeth as the gear wheel 17, and it is attached to a rotary shaft 19 journalled in the walls 9 and 10. The shaft 19 supports an irregular disc 20 and astar wheel 21 with twelve teeth. A spring 22 engages the star wheel 21 and holds it I thereby stationary. The disc 13 is fitted witha pin 23, see Figs. 3, 6 and 7 which for every revolution of the disc 13 engages the star wheel 21 and moves the same one tooth forward, and this motion is transmitted from the star wheel through the shaft 19 and the ear wheels 18 and 17 to the disc 14, which is t ereby moved forward one twelfth of a revolution.

A loose U-shaped lever 24 with a handle 25 (Fig. 4) is pivoted about the shaft 11. The iever is fitted with a pawl 26 engaging the ratchet wheel 15. As mentioned above the latter has seven teeth, and when the handle 25, as shown in Fig. 4, is turned down into the sition 25 the pawl 26 will advance the rate et wheel 15 one seventh of a revolution. As the ratchet wheel 15 is rigidly connected to the disc 12 the latter is also rotated one seventh of a revolution forward, and it shows now the name of the next week day. \Vhen the handle 25 is released in the position 25 a spring, which is not shown on the drawings, will return the lever 24 to the position shown in Fig. 4.

As shown in Fig. 5 the lever 24 is fitted with another pawl 27 situated in the same plane as the ratchet wheel 16. Alongside of thiswheel there is provided a guiding plate 28, which by means of a screw 29 attached to the shaft 11. The pawl 27 rests against the ed of the guiding plate 28 and is there maintained out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 16. When the lever 24 .is pressed down to the position 24' the pawl 27 will slide along the edge of the guiding plate 28, until at the lower corner 30 of the said late the pawl gets free .of the plate and now y means of its spring 31 is pressed into encut with the ratchet wheel 16. The corner 30 is located at such a point that the ratchet wheel 16, which as mentioned above has 31 teeth, will have been moved just one tooth forward by the pawl 27, before the lever 24 has reached its extreme position 24'. when now the lever is returned to its normal position 24, the ratchet wheel 16 will remain stationary, because it is held in pdsition by a pawl; 32. As the ratchet wheel 16 is rigidly connected to the disc 13 with the date numetals the name of the week day and the date will thus be readjusted, whenever the lever 24 is swung down.

The front wail 33 of the enclosing casing, Figs. 1 and 7, is fitted with windows 34 through which the name of the week day, the date and the name of the month may be observed from the outside.

As shown in Fig. 2 the lever 24 is fitted with :1 lug 35 projecting out through a setshaped o ning 36 in the wall 9. On the outside 0 the latter a hook 38 with a nose 39 is pivoted about a pin 37, the said nose engaging the bottom side of the lug 35 and, thereby, locking the lever 24 in its upper position. On the outside of the wall 10, Fig. 1, there is provided a coin chute 40, and in the rear wall 41 of the casing an aperature 42 for insertion of coins. Inside of this aperaturc a horizontal pin 43 is provided on an arm 44 adapted to be adjusted up or down by means of attaching screws 45 passing through a vertical slit 46 in the wall 10. Above the coin aperture 42 an arm 47 is provided which is attached to a shaft 48 journailed in the walis 9 and 10. A spring 49 maintains normally the arm 47 in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

To the shaft 48 there is attached an arm 50 situated outside the wall 9 and supporting a pawl 51 which is actuated by a spring 52. An irregular disc 54 with two notches 55 and 56 is pivoted about a pin 53. The upper portion of the disc 54 is fitted with three notches 57, 58 and 59, and the notch 57 is engaged by a nose 60 on the arm 38. The disc 54 is fitted with a projecting part 61 which in Fig. 2 rests against a fixed stop 62, and the projection 61 serves as support for a pawl 63 pivoted about a pin 64 and actuated by a spring 65.

\Vhen a coin 66 is inserted into the apparatus, as shown in Fig. 8, the coin wili pass betwen the fixed pin 43 and the movable arm 47, the extreme end of which will be lifted. This causes a partial rotation of the shaft 48 with the arm 50, whereby the pawl 51 engages the notch and rotates the disc 5-4 in such a manner that the nose 60 on the arm 38 will be raised up in the notch Thereby the nose 3% on the arm is removed from the path of the lug 35, so that the lever 24 is released from the nose 39, but at the same time a book 67 which is fixed on the shaft 48, see Fig. 4, will be swung into engagement with a notch 68 in the lever 24, so that this hook will now prevent the lever from being turned.

In the wails 9 and 10 a shaft 69 is journalled which on the outside of the wall 9 is fitted with a pawl 70 snatching up into a notch 71 in the pawl 51 and locking the arm 50 in the position shown in Fig. 8. On the outside of the wall 10 the shaft 69 supports an arm 72 projecting into the coin chute 40. When the coin 66 has lifted the arm 17 and has dropped down through the coin chute 40 it will strike the arm 72 and turns thereby the same and the shaft 69 in such a manner that the pawl 70 releases the arm 50, and the latter returns then into the position shown in Fig. 2 while actuated by the spring 49, Fig. 1. Thereby the lever 24 will be released by the pawl 67, Fig. 4, and since the nose 39 does not stop the lug 35 any longer, the lever 24 may now freely be swung down.

When the lever 24 has been swung down into its bottommost position it is stopped by the lug striking the projecting part 61 of the disc 54, and the latter is thereby returned into the position shown in 2, i

Ila]

where the said part rests against thestop 62. When the lever 2a is then swung upward the pawl 63 will engage the bottom side of the lug 35 and will thereby prevent the lever Qi'from being swung down again into its bottommost position, whereby the pawl 27, F i 5, might be enabled to turn the ratchet wheel 16 another tooth forward.

. When the lever 24 has been returned into its name of the next month becomes visible.

normal position shown in Fig. 2 the nose 39 engages under the lug 35, so that the lever is thereby locked.

From the above description it will appear that the insertion of a coin and the passage of the same through the coin chute causes the lever 2 to be released, and that a downwaro movement of the lever causes the disc 12 to be adjusted, so that the name of the day becomes visible and, similarly, the date disc 13 is turned forward so far that the date numeral of the next day becomes visible. For each complete revolution of the disc 13 the disc 14- with the names of the months will be moved forward a certain angle, so that the It remains now to describe how the disc 13 at the end of the month is moved forward automatically a distance corresponding to the difierence between thirty-one and the num her of days in the month.

As shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 7 an U-shaped lever 73 is suspended from the shaft 11, which lever is actuated by a spring 74, Fig. 5. To the lever 73 a pin 75 is attached which supports a pawl 76 co-operating with a tooth 77 fixed on the face of the ratchet wheel 16. T he lever 2% supports an arm 78, Fig. 5, which when the lever is swung down engages the lever 73, so that the latter will be taken along by the continued rotation of the lever 24, whereby the spring 74 will be stretched.

As shown in Fig. 7 the lever 73 is fitted with a finger 79 engaging the periphery of the irregular disc 20, and the spring 7st is what presses the said finger against the disc 20. The periphery of the disc is divided into twelve equal parts corresponding to the twelve months, and for the sake of greater clearness the names of the months are indicated on the disc in Fig. The parts of the disc corresponding to months with 31 days extend all the way out to the periphery of the disc, while the parts corresponding to months with 30 days recede somewhat back of the periphery, so that at these places a notch is formed in the disc. Finally the part of the disc corresponding to the month of February is --.ithdrawn so far from the periphery that the notch there produced is three times as deep as the notches corresponding to the months with 30 days, corresponding to the fact that February has normally only 28 days.

The motion of the lever 7 3 will therefore be different depending on the various parts of the periphery of the disc 20 engaged by the finger 79, and the parts are dimensioned in such a manner that the arm 78 moves the lever 73 so far that the pawl 76 will just be able to turn the ratchet wheel 16 one tooth forward if the tooth 77 happens to be in front of the pawl 76 when the finger 79 rest-s against the parts of the disc 20 corresponding to months with 31 days. If on the other hand the finger 79 rests against the parts of the disc corresponding to months with 30 days when the arm 78 moves the lever 73 so far that the pawl 76 will just be able to move the ratchet wheel 16 two teeth forward, provided that the tooth 77 is opposite the pawl 76. When the finger 79 rests against the part of the disc 20 corresponding to the month of February then the lever 7 3 will be movedso far that the pawl 7 6- will be able to turn the ratchet wheel 16 four teeth forward, all provided that the tooth 77 is ready for engages ment with the pawl-76.

The tooth 77 is provided at such a'point of the ratchet wheel 16 that the last but one date of the month comes into engagement with the pawl 76. If the month has 31 days the pawl 76 will move the tooth 77 a distance forward corresponding to one tooth on the ratchet wheel 16, but as the pawl 27, Fig. 5,

simultaneously comes into engagement with the ratchet wheel 16 and pushes the latter one tooth forward'the action of the pawl 76 will have no effect. If on the other hand the month has only 30 days then the pawl 76, by engaging the tooth 77, will move the ratchet wheel 16 two teeth forward, the result being that the disc 13 instead of indicatingthe date 30 is moved forward so as to indicate the date numeral one. If the month has only 28 days, such as February, then the pawl 76 while engaging the tooth 77 will move the ratchet wheel 16 four teeth forward, and the visible date will thereby be altered from 28 to one.

As the disc 20 is advanced one twelfth of a revolution whenever the disc 14: is turned one twelfth of a revolution forward the said disc 20 will be adjusted automatically from month to month.

In leap-years February has 29 days, and in that case the depth of the notch in the disc 20 corresponding to the month of February is not correct. For this reason'there is provided, on the inside of the wall 9, a doublearmed lever 81, Fig. 5, pivoted about a pin 80. hen this arm is turned into the position 81 the front end 82 of the arm will form a stop for the lever 73 to strike against, and this stop performs now the function of the disc 20 and stops the lever 73 in such a position that its motion, when'the lever 24. is turned down, corresponds only to a threeteeth motion of the ratchet wheel 16, when the teeth 77 is just opposite the pawl 76, which will be the case when the calendar shows February 29th. In that case the date 13 is turned three teeth forward, so that instead of showing the date 29 it will show the date one. The arm 81 is used only in leap-years; during other years it is turned away so as not to come into contact with the lever 73.

If it is desired that the savings-box calendar shall not be able to be adjusted until two alike coins have been inserted in succession, then the horizontal pin 43 is lowered slight- 1y. The result of this will be that by the insection of a coin the arm 47 will be raised a correspondingly smaller distance, so that the pawl 51 will only be able to turn the disc 56 so far that the nose 60 will come into contact with the bottom of the notch 58. In this position the nose 39 has not yet released the lug 35.. When the next coin is inserted into the coin aperture the arm 47 will be raised once more, but this time the pawl 51 will engagethe notch 56 in the disc 54 and turn it thereby forward in such a manner that the nose 60 enters up into the notch 59, and therebythe lug 35 comes clear of the nose 39, so that'the lever 24 may be swung down.

The invention may also be used in other embodiments than the one shown on the drawings, and the mechanical constructions may be varied and replaced by other ones, without the apparatus thereby transgressing the frame of the invention.

By. way of example it may be mentioned that the guiding plate 28, Fig. 5, may be extended downward and given the shape shown in Fig. 9 with a notch 83 allowing the pawl 27 at an earlier stage of the motion of the lever 24 to push the ratchet Wheel 16 one tooth forward. In that case the lever 7 3 does not need so long a motion as described above, and the motion may be shortened a distance corresponding to one tooth of the ratchet wheel 16. For the months having 31 days the lever 73 will thus remain entirely stationary.

'We claim:

1. A savings box calendar having a rotary disc indicating the date, a ratchet wheel with thirty-one teeth connected to the disc, a lever which is pivoted about the shaft of the said ratchet wheel and which may be turned by means of a handle provided thereon, a pawl provided on the said lever which pawl, whenever the lever is turned, moves the said ratchet wheel with thirty-one teeth one tooth forward, an arm provided on the lever which arm actuates another lever having a pawl the operation of which is supplementary to that of the first named pawl and means operated automatically by said date disc to cause said supplementary pawl, whenever the date disc indicates the last date of a month of less than 31 days, to coact with a tooth on the side of the said ratchet wheel with thirty-one teeth and, thereby, move the said ratchet wheel and the date disc so far forward that the date disc indicates the date one.

2. A calendar as claimed in claim 1, in which the automatically operated means comprises a disc having peripheral stops of different radius according to the number of days of the months and also having a star wheel of twelve points, gears connecting said disc to the date disc for movement of the latter correspondingly with the former, a finger on the second named lever engageable with said peripheral stops, a spring active on the second named lever to hold such finger in such engagement and means to prevent casual rotation of the star wheel and peripheral stop disc.

3. A calendar as claimed in claim 1, in which the automatically operated means comprises a disc having peripheral stops of different radius according to the number of days of the months and also having a star wheel of twelve points, gears connecting said disc to the date disc for movement of the latter correspondingly with the former, a finger on the second named lever engageable with said peripheral stops, a spring active on the second named lever to hold such finger in such engagement and means to prevent casual rotation of the star Wheel and peripheral stop disc and also including a manually operable stop movable into the path of the second lever to control the movement thereof as required for leap year.

In witness whereof we aflix our signatures.

HANS J ()RGEN J EPSEN. KAI CHRISTIAN NIELSEN. 

